Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, upon notice, on 12 December 2011:

In regard to the answer to question on notice no. 19 taken on notice during the 2011 12 supplementary Budget estimates hearings of the Rural Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee:

(1) If the discussions referred to were not formally minuted by the department, were they informally minuted; if so, can details be provided.

(2) In the event that no minutes were kept whatsoever, can the department advise why and at whose instruction, given that the Minister indicated that he was 'sure' that there were minutes.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

I confirm that I had ongoing discussions with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry during the period 30 May 2011 and 2 June 2011.

It is a long standing practice of successive governments not to disclose discussions between ministers and their departments. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry provided written advice to me at a number of times during this period. Details of which have been released under Freedom of Information Act.